SPEECH BY MDM RAHAYU MAHZAM, MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF HEALTH, AT THE COMMUNITY CARE MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY CARE EXCELLENCE AWARDS CEREMONY, 2 OCTOBER 2024

Dr Gerard Ee, Chairman, Agency for Integrated Care (AIC)

Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, Chief Executive Officer, AIC

Distinguished guests, award recipients

Ladies and gentlemen

1. A very good morning. I am delighted to be here at the Community Care Manpower Development Awards (CCMDA) and Community Care Excellence Awards (CCEA), as we recognise and celebrate the accomplishments of our dedicated and inspiring staff. I am pleased to be among passionate individuals who are dedicated to improving the wellbeing of our community and advancing the community care sector.

Community Care Manpower Development Awards 

2. The CCMDA is a study award first introduced in 2017 and provides important training support and opportunities for both new and in-service staff in the community care sector. Since its inception, CCMDA has supported the professional development of over 980 individuals, with 118 receiving the award this year.

3. Growing our workforce is essential to meet the growing needs of our community. For instance, as palliative care services expand in the coming years, there will be growing demand for community care staff to acquire the relevant skills and knowledge to support the needs of this group. 

4. Acquiring new skills is never easy, especially if we may already have many things on our plate, such as taking care of our families, and managing our careers. Ms Liu Maoxiang, from Singapore Anglican Community Services (SACS), has inspired us with her journey to grow professionally. With the support of her SACS colleagues and the CCMDA, she embraced the opportunity to further develop her professional skills as a social worker focusing on palliative and community care. Her journey saw her taking up a Professional Certificate in Palliative Care for Social Workers in 2024. She subsequently completed her training and continued on her journey as a social worker with SACS specialising in palliative and community care. Her dedication to lifelong learning and passion for serving others exemplify the values that we see in our awardees today. We wish her a long and fulfilling career. 

Community Care Nursing Leadership Programme 

5. Alongside individual growth, it is crucial to cultivate nursing talents for leadership roles, to ensure a robust pipeline of nursing leaders for the future. The Community Care Nursing Leadership Programme (CCNLP) aims to achieve this by preparing nurses to take on leadership roles. Nominated nursing talents will undergo a three- or five-year developmental programme that includes leadership coaching, clinical training both at home and abroad, and more.

6. Since its launch in 2021, CCNLP has supported 25 nursing leaders from various settings, such as nursing homes, community hospitals, palliative care, and centre-based care. Today, we proudly celebrate the graduation of six nurses who completed the programme this year.

Community Care Excellence Awards

7. As we continue to nurture the skills and leadership capabilities of our staff, it’s also essential to recognise that these efforts ultimately serve a greater purpose to improve the quality of service that we provide. The CCEA celebrates the dedication of individuals and teams who have shown outstanding service and commitment to delivering quality care to their seniors. Since the CCEA was introduced in 2014, nearly 2,000 individuals and teams have received the award. This year, we are honouring 229 recipients, including 209 individual awards. 

8. One such individual is Ms Ng Ling Ling, an executive from Ren Ci Community Hospital who took the initiative to streamline manual data work by picking up Robotic Process Automation. By automating repetitive tasks needed for financial counselling forms, she not only improved the quality of financial counselling at Ren Ci Community Hospital but, more importantly, freed up her team’s bandwidth to offer more meaningful interactions with patients and their families.

9. The CCEA also acknowledges team achievements in areas such as clinical quality, client experience, and improvements in productivity and digitalisation. This year, Lentor Health Nursing Home at Macpherson embarked on the Chef Partnership Programme, where it worked with professional chefs to optimise kitchen workflows, train staff in modern cooking techniques, and of course, develop tasty and nutritious meal plans for their residents. From this programme, Lentor Health achieved a 47% improvement in resident satisfaction. This is testament to the sector’s dedication to innovate and improve the everyday experiences of our seniors. 

10. As part of our ongoing effort to recognise the exceptional contributions of healthcare leaders in preventive health and community care, I am pleased to announce the introduction of a new Platinum Leadership Award category for next year’s CCEA. This prestigious award will honour Community Care Leaders who have made outstanding contributions to advance and enhance community care. It celebrates those who exemplify remarkable leadership, driving excellence and pioneering practices that strengthen the sector and ensure that all Singaporeans have the support they need to live and age well within their communities.

Strengthening Manpower Capabilities

11. As we recognise our healthcare workers’ efforts to upskill and bring greater impact to their roles, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and AIC are committed to supporting these aspirations by creating clear career progression pathways that align with the evolving needs of the community. I am pleased to share that the Community Care Career Track for support care staff, initially piloted in 2021, is now ready for adoption across the sector. The new track provides new opportunities for support care staff progression, by broadening their roles and enabling cross-deployment across various care settings. 

12. Ms Kelly Kait from Ren Ci Nursing Home exemplifies this progression. After completing her training, she was promoted from Community Care Associate to Senior Community Care Associate, where her role was expanded to include responsibilities such as assisting with mobility training.  Over time, with greater experience gained, she will be able to advance further along the Care Track at Ren Ci.

13. To prepare our support care staff for these new roles, AIC, in partnership with MOH, SkillsFuture Singapore, and industry stakeholders, have accredited the training and development of Community Care Associates as part of the national Skills Framework for Healthcare. I am pleased to share that the first group of 12 staff have started this training back in July. Upon completion, they will be awarded the WSQ Higher Certificate in Healthcare for Community Care. With this certification, and continuous training, this group can move on to assume roles where they will work closely together with clinicians and therapists to provide holistic care to support the physical and clinical wellbeing of clients. 

14. We look forward to having all community care organisations and support care staff join us in this transformative journey as we roll out the Community Care Track across care settings. This will contribute to our collective effort to provide even better care and support for our communities.

Closing

15. In closing, I would like to wish all awardees continued success in your learning journeys. I commend you for your dedication and exceptional contributions to the community care sector. Your efforts continue to make a significant impact, and I am certain you will continue to inspire and lead.

16. Congratulations to all our awardees and thank you for your commitment to advance community care.